


Six Days of Weblena

by lenasmagic (dimensionhoppingrose)



Category: DuckTales (Cartoon 2017)
Genre: Cute, F/F, Fluff, Future Fic, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Lena is weak, Slice of Life, Violet might take advantage of that, magical study
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-23
Updated: 2020-03-28
Packaged: 2021-02-28 20:15:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,802
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23283112
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dimensionhoppingrose/pseuds/lenasmagic
Summary: Seven days of Webby and Lena. Fluff, angst, cute, hurt/comfort, everything and anything is on the table hereChapter One: Lena hates magic. But saying no to Webby isreallyhard.Chapter Two: Sometimes magic doesn't make everything easier. Sometimes it does much, much worse.Chapter Three: Webby and Lena make the best of being literally trapped in the mansion. Which mostly means tormenting everyone else.Chapter Four: Unfortunately, trust issues don't go away overnight. Or after ten years.Chapter Five: Chance meetings are the base of every universe.Chapter Six: Best friends share everything... right?
Relationships: Lena (Disney: DuckTales) & Violet Sabrewing & Webby Vanderquack, Lena (Disney: DuckTales)/Webby Vanderquack
Comments: 13
Kudos: 120





	1. The Magic of Weakness

**Author's Note:**

> Our Weblena server decided to have a little Weblena celebration for ourselves in honor of the show coming back (TWELVE MORE DAYS).
> 
> If you want to join in the fun, you can find our server link here: https://lenasmagic.tumblr.com/post/611353812064681984/gay-ducks-fun-and-awesome-members-you

“Uuuuuuuugh.” Lena rolled onto her back, head upside down hanging over the edge of the bed, watching Webby and Violet work. “Webs, when you invited us over I thought we’d be doing something a little more exciting than reading spellbooks.”

“Well if you want some excitement would could always try out one of these spells…” Violet said thoughtfully, giving her sister a small, innocent smile.

“Do I look like I was born yesterday?” Lena rolled her eyes. “Where do you guys even _get_ these books?”

“The library has a surprising range.”

“Besides, this is fun!” Webby said cheerfully. “Just take a look at one and tell us if it’s real or not.”

“Fiiiiiiiiiine.” Lena held out a hand; Webby hand her the book, and she started flipping through it. “Nope. You guys got played by Mrs. Quackfaster. This is all garbage. Why would a regular library even _have_ spellbooks?”

“Donations?”

Lena rolled her eyes, tossing the book to the side. “Next.”

“I’m just saying, we’re going to continue researching with or without your permission,” Violet said as Webby handed Lena another book. “It might be in all of our best interests for you to actually monitor what we’re doing and keep us on the right track—”

“That sounds a lot like what a _teacher_ does,” Lena suspiciously, glaring at Violet over the book. Again, that innocent smile. “Not a chance, Vi. And this one’s a bust.”

“But you’re like, the _only_ magic person we know,” Webby said with a pout, handing Lena another book.

“And what does that tell you about magic?”

“That we need to meet more people that know about it?”

“ _No_. God that’s the _last_ thing you need.” Lena leafed through the book, humming to herself. “This one actually has some useful information.” She formed a bubble around it and tossed it up into the air to hover by the ceiling.

“Hey!”

“Come on Pink, how many times have I told you that messing with magic is dangerous? It’s not going to end well. It never does.”

“You don’t know _every single_ magic user in the world,” Violet pointed out. “You don’t know who’s trustworthy.”

“Well I definitely know who _isn’t_ ,” Lena grumbled, crossing her arms and looking out the window.

“We’re not going to Magica de Spell for magic advice,” Violet said. “But that’s why we’re asking you.”

“And I’m giving you my best advice,” Lena said, sitting up. “I get it, you guys are interested in magic, but this is all stupid and dangerous.”

Violet didn’t look entirely impressed. Webby was just sad. “You don’t think we can handle it, do you?”

“That’s… not…” Lena groaned, pressing her hands to her eyes. “I’m just trying to keep you guys safe.”

“The best way to do that is to make sure we’re not studying anything that will hurt us,” Violet said, handing another book to Lena. She glared at her sister for a moment before snatching the book out of her hands.

“ _Fine_. Just to make sure you nerds don’t hurt yourselves.”

“Yaaaaaay!” Webby said, grinning, Three more books were immediately thrown at Lena, and she sighed.

“You guys are just…”

She let her voice drift off as she started looking, dismissing all three books. Violet and Webby were still going through the other books, chatting animatedly. Lena peeked over the book she was looking at, smiling and glad the rest of her face was hidden by the book.

Nerds. She was surrounded by nerds. Her eyes flicked to the left, where Webby was sitting, and smiled.

Maaaaaaaaaaybe that wasn’t such a bad thing.


	2. It's Magic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes magic doesn't make everything easier. Sometimes it does much, much worse.
> 
> Day Two of our server Weblena week!

Everything _hurt_.

It was the first thing Lena noticed as she stirred, trying to sit up. Her body refused to comply. Every limb felt like it was being held down, and she could’ve sworn there was a boulder on her chest.

“Hey, I think she’s waking up.”

“Lena?”

Oh, Lena hated it when Webby cried. Especially when she was the cause of it. _All right, Lena, put on a smile and sit up. Gotta cheer up Webby_.

But no matter how much she tried, her body just wouldn’t move. She _did_ manage to get out a pitiful, “Ow…”

“Thank god. I really didn’t want to tell Harry and Nico we killed their daughter.”

“Not _now_ , Louie.”

“Enough blatherin’, all of ye,” another voice — unmistakably and almost unbearably Scottish — rebuked them all. “Let her rest if she needs it.”

There were fingers in her hair, brushing it back, and she heard a small sniffle somewhere above her. “It’s okay, Lena,” the voice said gently. “You can sleep. We’ll take care of you.”

That was the only nudge Lena needed back into unconsciousness.

_“Can’t you guys run faster?!” Lena called over her shoulder to the boys. “I thought you were super adventurers?”_

_“Running… is… different,” Dewey gasped out, stumbling before quickly righting himself and hurrying on. Rocks were falling around them as the old cave shook; Lena swore one of the boys almost got hit every time she looked at them._

_“Jesus,_ move _!” she yelled, swinging her hand out to cover the boys with a shield as another rock nearly took out all three of them. It was getting worse. Great. “Get in front of me, all of you.”_

_She slowed down to let the boys get ahead of her so she could keep an eye on all of them and Webby. “Do you remember where the entrance is?” Huey called to Webby._

_“Yeah, we’re almost there. Lena, do you think you can keep this up?”_

_“Sure, no problem,” Lena gritted out, casting another shield to protect Huey. “Just keep moving.”_

_“Doing our best!”_

_Lena continued throwing shields out, trying not to slow down. Almost there, almost there, almost there—_

_She was trying to cover Louie when she saw another rock falling right toward Dewey. Damn it! “Dewey, watch out!” She darted forward, shoving the duckling out of the way and casting a hasty shield over herself at the same time. She slammed, shoulder first, into the ground, the entire weight of the boulder on the surface of a barely holding shield._

_“Lena!” She heard Webby calling her name right before the last of her energy gave… and the shield faded away._

Everything was soft. She still hurt, but she was lying on something soft. That was nice. She whimpered, managing to twitch her fingers. That was something. “Lena?”

“Think that’s still my name.” Her voice cracked; her throat was _dry_. The surface under Lena bounced a little and shifted. She forced her eyes to open, focusing unsteadily on the blob hovering over. The blob with a spot of pink. “Hey, Webs. ‘Sup?”

Tears filled Webby’s eyes, and she gently pressed herself against Lena, hugging her as tight as she dared. “You’re awake,” she whispered. “Thank god. You’re awake.”

“How long’ve I been out for?” Lena mumbled, bring one, aching arm up to rest across Webby’s back.

“Two days. You’ve kind of woken up here and there, but I’m guessing you don’t remember. Harry and Nico are staying down the hall. Do you remember what happened?”

“Um…” Her throat felt like sandpaper. She coughed, and Webby immediately poured her a glass of water. Lena slipped it slowly, with Webby’s help. “We were running through a cave. There were rocks falling, I think?”

Webby nodded, a small smile pulling at her beak. “You really saved Dewey’s life. It was pretty amazing. I didn’t know you’d gotten that good with your magic.”

“Been practicing,” Lena said, smiling in return. “You guys are all okay, right?”

“We’re — Lena a boulder _fell on you_. Stop worry about us for two seconds!” Webby sounded exasperated. “You could’ve died!”

“I heal fast. You know that.”

“Not that fast! If you hadn’t landed on your side your entire chest would’ve been crushed. Including the amulet.” Lena winced. “ _Please_ don’t do anything like that again.”

“If it wasn’t me, it would’ve been Dewey. Is that better?”

“No,” Webby admitted. “But that doesn’t mean you should push people out of the way of danger. You’re durable, not immortal.”

The door creaked before Lena had a chance to answer. “Webby, is she — Lena!” Harry rapidly switched to Spanish, too fast for either of them to follow as he hurried into the room and _very_ gently cradled his daughter. Nico was right behind him. Webby quickly scooted out of the way, giving the dads some room to fuss.

“Guys, I’m fine,” Lena half-groaned, pretending to look put out at the thought of people _caring_ about her. “Everyone is overreacting.”

She received two mixed Spanish answers and sighed. Webby smiled slightly before slipping out of the room. Violet was waiting in the hall, rocking back and forth on her feet.

“She’s awake?”

“Yeah.”

“And she seems okay?”

“Already arguing with Harry and Nico. You can go see her, if you want.”

“I’ll wait until they’re done.” Violet relaxed slightly. “She doesn’t need to be overwhelmed.”

Webby peeked back into the room. It was obvious Lena was already exhausted, her smile weak and her eyes struggling to stay open, but she was putting on the act for Nico and Harry.

“Yeah. You’re probably right.”


	3. Sidekick

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes things get weird in the mansion.

“Eat darts, scum!”

Dewey yelped as he ran for cover, prepping his gun. “The hallway to the kitchen is free territory!”

“Not anymore!” Louie laughed evilly. “Five dollars for kitchen access!”

Huey was in the kitchen, valiantly guarding the fridge, when a teenage girl stepped out of the shadows. He shakily turned his dart gun to her.

“Do you _really_ want to do that?” Lena asked, raising an eyebrow. Huey slowly lowered the gun again. “That’s what I thought.” Lena opened the door, grabbing a couple sodas, then went to collect a box of granola bars. “Put it on my tab, Huebert.”

She walked back into the shadows without another word.

“ _Any idea how much longer you guys are going to be stuck there?”_ Violet was asking when Lena reappeared in the room. Webby was lying on the floor with her laptop, talking to Violet on Skype.

“Got some rations.” Lena flopped down next to Webby, handing her a soda and putting the granola bars between them. “Huey and Louie have taken over the kitchen.”

“That’s supposed to be free space!”

“Still is for me.” Lena smirked, tearing open a granola bar.

“ _Are the boys not working together anymore?_ ” Violet asked curiously.

“No, Dewey was being annoying, so they kicked him out of the bedroom. He’s in the downstairs rec room now.”

“I still think we should’ve just let him join us,” Webby said, sipping her soda.

“No way. He annoyed his own brothers. I would’ve tossed him out a window by now. Besides, Della is _definitely_ helping him.”

“ _I thought the adults weren’t taking sides._ ”

“They’re not, but Della isn’t going to leave Dewey to struggle. Also she’s lowkey playing this game too — the hallway to her room is definitely rigged.”

“ _I’m sorry, but what is the point of all this again?_ ”

“Survival of the fittest.”

“ _I’m not sure this is what Darwin meant by that. Any luck getting the seal off the house?_ ”

“Nope.” Lena rolled her eyes. “I already told them it’ll let up when it wants to let up, but I saw Beakley blowtorching the door earlier.”

“ _Why does Mrs. Beakley have a blowtorch on hand?_ ”

“I mean… you’ve been here, right?”

They heard a _shwing_ outside the door, then a yelp. “That… That didn’t sound like one of the boys, did it?” Lena asked, looking at Webby. She was wide-eyed; she bolted up and out the door, into the safe area they had set up in the middle of the myriad of traps.

And there was Scrooge, hanging upside down, one foot caught in a rope as he swayed slowly. “Impressive that you managed to hold on to your cane,” Lena said with a weak smile. Scrooge didn’t look amused.

“I appreciate that this is not an ideal situation, but don’t you kids think you’ve gone a bit far?”

Webby and Lena exchanged looks. “Have we?” Webby asked, tilting her head.

“Can you guys just help this one time—”

Dewey came around the corner, yawning as he tried to ask for help, only to yelp when Webby and Lena immediately whirled, fists raised; the added effect of pink glowing around Lena’s hands made it even more terrifying.

“Nevermiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiind!” he screamed as he ran. Scrooge sighed.

“Girls, will you cut me down?”

“You only wear the top hat to look taller.”

“Wha — cut me down from _this trap_!” Scrooge balked, offended. “And I’ll have you know my hat is a traditional—”

Lena snapped her fingers. The rope snapped, depositing Scrooge into a pile on the ground.

* * *

Webby and Lena were the only kids who slept peacefully. Half because the boys would never dare try to ambush them and half because no one could get to their door.

“How much longer do you think the spell’s gonna last?” Webby asked, yawning, as they settled into their sleeping bags. They still slept near the door, dart guns at the ready.

“Couple days, maybe?” Lena shrugged, curling up. “It’s not a permanent spell or anything. Either it’ll go away on its own or it’ll get weak enough for me to shadowport outside and take it down from there. Good thing this place is stocked to feed an army.”

“Seriously.” Webby giggled, getting snuggled in and turning on her side. “Hey, Lena?”

“Yeah?”

“I know it’s kind of not the best, but I’m really glad you were here when that shield thing activated.”

Lena turned on her side to face Webby. The moonlight caught her eyes in just a way that it looked as if they were lit up. Not because of magic, though. Just pure happiness.

“So am I, Pink.”

They both knew Webby could’ve ruled this entire house on her own. She didn’t help with that. She needed a sidekick.

And that was one thing Lena was _always_ good for.


	4. Trust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Unfortunately, trust issues don't go away overnight. Or after ten years.

Interning for Scrooge was fun. Really it was. She got to spend all day examining and researching cool artifacts, and Mrs. Quackfaster didn’t even yell at her anymore.

Unfortunately, interning for Uncle Scrooge also obligated Webby to _binventory_. Which meant overnight at the office, counting coins with Louie, the only triplet currently left in Duckburg — Huey was at school and Dewey had decided being a traveling comedian was the life for him. Webby knew Louie secretly enjoyed interning for his uncle as well, even if it was unpaid (he still lived in the mansion, he didn’t the money, Scrooge had informed him).

The elevator dinged, opening to the fourth floor hallway of their apartment building. So close. Webby took a deep breath, venturing down the hall, trying to get her keys out. Get in, kick off shoes, cuddle with Lena. Oh god, please let Lena be home. No one had figured out yet what she did to make money, aside from sometimes working with Drake Mallard’s maybe-sometimes-it’s-complicated girlfriend. And she _definitely_ didn’t have money.

A piece of hair slipped out of Webby’s failing ponytail. She sighed, shoving it back and finding her phone. No texts saying she was going anywhere. That was a good sign. Cuddles were in Webby’s future. She finally got to their apartment door, unlocking it and letting herself inside. “Lenaaaaa,” she called sleepily, kicking her shoes off and dropping her bag without missing a step. Hopefully she was ready for her tired girlfriend to just drop on top of her and never move again…

She stopped in the door of their bedroom, immediately awake and alert. Lena was generally a light sleeper who didn’t move much, other than to wake up and wrestle the blankets back from Webby. It was never a good sign to see her tossing and turning, the blanket tangled around her body.

“Lena… Lena, hey.”

Webby quickly crossed the room, kneeling on the bed to shake Lena awake. It only took a couple shakes for Lena to shoot up, hand glowing. Webby quickly grabbed her wrist, gently bending it away. “You’re okay,” she said as Lena looked around, still trapped in whatever joyless hell her dreams threw her in. “It’s okay, you’re safe. Nothing is going to hurt you. I promise.”

Lena finally turned to her, a little bit of clarity returning to her gaze. “Webs…?”

And with that, she threw herself at Webby, holding her tight. Webby wrapped her arms around Lena’s slim form, pulling her as close as she could. She always said it helped anchor her back to reality. And so Webby held her, humming and brushing her fingers through Lena’s hair until her breathing finally returned to normal and her body stopped shaking and her grip loosened just a little. Just the smallest bit.

“Okay?” Webby asked, pulling away to look at her. Her eyes were drawn to the colored streak in Lena’s hair as she nodded. “It’s blue.”

Lena crossed her eyes a bit to look up at the color. “Oh, yeah, I thought it would be cool. Blue’s a pretty great color. And I can finally say that now that Dewey is off living in his car or something.”

“That might summon him back.” Webby giggled before turning serious. “What were you dreaming about?”

Lena’s expression immediately went slack. “Nothing,” she said, pulling away and climbing off the bed. “It’s nothing.”

“Le- _na_.” Webby huffed, annoyed. This had been a problem for… really, as long as Webby had known Lena, but it was worse now that they were dating. Lena kept secrets. Some of them were funny — like the mystery of how Lena made money being a broke witch’s apprentice. _This_ particular subject was infuriating sometimes, though. “You promised.”

It had been a sticking point in their relationship for the longest time. Webby was patient — she’d wait forever for Lena if she had to — but they were here, and they loved each other, and sometimes Webby just wanted her to be honest about something. Even if it was her feelings. _Especially_ if it was her feelings.

“It’s nothing, Webby—”

“It’s _not_ nothing!” Webby said, standing up. “It’s never nothing, especially when it comes to your dreams! It’s always something, and I just — why don’t you trust me?”

“It’s not you. You know that.”

“You don’t trust that I can handle whatever you tell me. You always do this. It’s been _six years_. Why do I have to beg for every conversation we have?”

Lena hesitated for a long, long moment. “I’m sorry,” she whispered finally. “I trust you.”

Webby stood and took Lena’s hand, tugging her back to the bed. “Then show it. Tell me. Please.”

Lena collapsed onto the bed, leaning forward to rest her elbows on her knees. “It’s just… Magica. It’s always Magica. Why can’t I get her out of my head?”

Webby took her hand, squeezing gently. “Because she hurt you. It’s okay to still be hurt. I think it might be weird if you weren’t.”

“So she gets to haunt me and control me the rest of my life? How is that fair?”

“Because she’s not controlling you anymore.” Webby curled up closer to Lena, hugging her tight. “Look at yourself, Lena. You’re _so different_ from the person you were when I met you. You’re happy and you have a family and you have a job — I think. We go on trips together and we get lost and lose phone service and just drive around for hours until you finally talk me into letting you cast a spell to get us somewhere safe because it’s too much like a horror movie.” Lena smiled a bit, then giggled despite herself. “And you’re stronger now. You could probably just wave your hand make Magica go away. She can’t hurt you anymore. She can’t control you. It’s just your memories.”

Lena leaned in, nudging Webby with her shoulder. “I have a job with Morgana.”

“And how does _she_ pay you?”

“Magic.”

“Magic does _not_ pay our rent.”

“No, Scrooge does. You are _way_ overpaid for an intern, you know that, right?”

“Aw, shush.” Webby smiled, kissing Lena gently. “See? Isn’t it easier to talk to me?”

“Not… really.” Lena sighed. “But I’m trying, Pink.”

“I know you are. I’m sorry I got mad.” Webby tugged Lena back to lie down with her, tucking Lena’s head under her chin. Lena was still taller than her, but Webby enjoyed being the big spoon. And Lena didn’t seem to mind.

“Pink do we need to have another conversation about what being mad _actually_ is?”

Webby giggled, kissing the top of Lena’s head. “Will you keep trying to talk to me?”

“Yeah,” Lena breathed, pressing closer to Webby and letting her eyes flutter shut. “I’ll keep trying. I’m sorry.”

“You don’t have to be sorry. But… I’m kind of here for the long haul, I dunno about you. And I don’t want you to be scared of talking to me for the rest of our lives. You’re supposed to feel safe with someone you love.”

Lena laughed quietly. “Webby, I’ve felt safe with you since the day we met. You’re not the problem.”

“You’re not the problem, either.” Webby paused, momentarily sidetracked. “Really? Since the first day?”

“I mean, you came running up screaming about saving… what was it again?”

“Either a sailor, group of sailors, or a shark from a sea serpent, a pirate invasion, and or scurvy.”

“Right. How could I not feel safe after that introduction?”

“So if I ran in and said I’ll keep you safe from magic, Magica, and or anything or anyone related to Magica, would that make you feel better?”

“She _does_ still have that brother I don’t know much about…”

“I’ll say that every time I come home from work then. And every night when we go to bed. And every night at three a.m. when you wake me up because I somehow managed to steal the twenty-pound blanket you sleep with. And—”

Lena interrupted by kissing Webby. “Maybe I’ll try talking more before we resort to that.”

“I mean… Talking works too.”


	5. Chance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A chance meeting is the base for all universes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Today is AU day, so there's some world-building that needs to be done here - nothing big, don't worry, just a couple things to note.
> 
> -The kids are all around 13-14 years old  
> -The triplets live at the mansion and have their whole life, same as Webby. Della's current status is in limbo because I'll probably never continue this  
> -HDLW have been friends their whole lives. They and befriended Violet at separate times in the third grade
> 
> I think those are the big things (aside from, you know, mysteries that come up in the story that aren't revealed), but ya know, ask if you're curious.

Webby Vanderquack sighed, resting her cheek in her hand. The boys were in detention _again_ , and Violet was off at her tutoring job, leaving Webby alone to wait for the triplets. She _could_ go home, she supposed, but it was kind of awkward to go without them when they lived in the same place. Besides, what would she do? Everything was boring without company.

She checked her phone, finding a text from Huey. _Louie tried to escape. Mrs. Quackfaster added another half hour_.

That sounded right for Louie. She put her phone back in her bag, staring at ground. She had _told_ them putting turtles in all the toilets was a stupid idea and of course they would get caught — all it took was finding Dewey in the first floor boys’ bathroom, and the entire staff knew his brothers would be found in similar positions.

 _How was putting turtles in toilets even a good prank?_ Webby wondered, staring at the street. _It’s not even clever._

A bark caught her attention, and she looked to see a border collie with black and tan and white fur running toward her on stubby little legs. She immediately lit up.

“Aw, you’re _cute_!”

She bounded off the steps, meeting the border collie on the sidewalk. “Hey there boy,” she says happily, scritching the dog’s ears. “Who do you belong to?”

“That’s me,” a voice spoke up, and Webby looked up to see a girl with pink hair and a striped sweater jogging across the street. “C’mere you ridiculous dog.”

The dog’s tail wagged, and it barked again, running back to its owner. She smiled, petting his head.

_Oh, she’s cute._

Webby blushed, ducking her head and shoving the thought down. “Um, hi.” Her voice cracked. “Your dog’s cute.”

The girl gave Webby a slight smirk. “Thanks. He’s good for picking up girls.” Webby was pretty sure her feathers had caught fire. The girl laughed. “He wasn’t bothering you, was he?”

“ _Nope_.” Her voice hopped up three notches. “He’s uh… he’s very cute. What’s his name?”

“Chip.” The girl straightened up. “And I’m Lena. Not that you asked.”

And now her brain was on fire. Webby.exe had _crashed_. “Oh! Um! I mean, yeah, of course I want to know your name, I’m sorry, what’s your — oh, I guess you just — Lena’s a great name! So is Chip! You both have great names!”

The girl held up a hand. “Ooooookay, chill out Pink. I was kidding.”

“Oh! Right, of course.” _Pink_. Lena had called her Pink. “Oh! I’m Webby.”

Chip barked, and Lena rolled her eyes, covering his muzzle. “He always has to be the center of attention.”

“Can I pet him?”

“He’d be insulted if you didn’t.”

Webby giggled, petting the dog again. “He’s so _cute_.”

“He is until he sleeps on your chest. Big lug.” Chip grumbled, as if he understood that Lena was making fun of him. “He thinks he’s so smart, too. I turned my back for a second, he saw someone who wasn’t giving him attention, and he was off. If a hand isn’t petting him, it’s a hand wasted.”

Chip chose that moment to jump on Webby, catching her by surprise and knocking her over. “Chip! Down!” Lena shook her head, exasperated. “I swear, he’s never like this. He must like you.”

“It’s okay.” Webby cuddled the dog, pleased that he seemed to like her so much. “Dogs are really good judges of character, you know.”

“So I’ve heard,” Lena said, gently taking the dog’s collar and pulling him away. “Come on you big old brat. Webby doesn’t want you squishing her.”

Webby actually didn’t mind, as it gave her a good reason to hide her still flushed face, but Chip moved obediently, settling next to Lena and bouncing. She pet him his head, sighing fondly. “How long have you had him?” Webby asked, tilting her head.

“Oh… how old are you, old man?” Lena looked down at the dog. “I got him when he was a puppy, I was four or five… he’s nine or ten, something like that.”

“He looks good for an old man.” Chip gave Webby a happy bark, wagging his tail. “Does… Does he understand me?”

“He understands _good_ and assumes it’s always about him.” Lena rolled her eyes. “My sister spoils the hell out of him.”

“Well, he seems like a _great_ boy to me.”

“Careful, the compliments might go to his head.”

Chip nudged her hand, huffing, and Lena rolled her eyes, scritching his head.

“Webby!”

They looked around as the triplets hopped down the school steps, bags bouncing on their shoulders. “We’re free!” Dewey said happily, coming to a stop next to Webby.

“Who’re you?” Louie asked, raising an eyebrow at Lena.

“Isn’t there a leash law?” Huey added, looking at Chip.

“Aren’t you a bucket of fun.” Lena rolled her eyes. “He doesn’t usually leave my side, it’s fine. And I’m Lena. What’re you three, a copy machine malfunction?”

Webby coughed, trying to hide a laugh. “Lena, this is Huey, Dewey, and Louie. They’re… kind of like my brothers, I guess. Guys, this is Lena, and this is—”

“Killer,” Lena spoke up, and Webby looked back, confused.

“I thought it was a Chip?”

Lena shrugged. “He has a lot of names.”

“He definitely doesn’t look like a Killer,” Dewey pointed out. The dog immediately growled at him, and Lena patted his head placatingly.

“Yes, buddy, we all know how terrifying and vicious you are, don’t worry.” She pulled out her phone, frowning.

“Sooooo are you new or something?” Huey cocked his head. It was a small school in a small town. They knew everyone.

“Not really. My family’s lived on the edge of town for years. We’re just homeschooled.”

“Wait, like you can go to school in your pajamas?” Louie was immediately interested.

“You _know_ Beakley would the one in charge of that and you wouldn’t be allowed to spend all day in your pajamas,” Huey reminded him, and he groaned.

“Right, right.”

Lena’s phone dinged; she quickly dug it out, and grimaced. “I… better get home, actually.”

“Oh.” Webby struggled to keep her disappointment at bay. “Do you uh… wanna hang out sometimes?”

“Um, sure, maybe.” Lena was suddenly distracted as she tapped her phone screen a few times. “I don’t get out much, but I’ll try to catch up with you. I mean, I know where you go to school. You’re not that hard to find. See ya.”

She turned and hurried down the street, Chip/Killer following her. “I don’t like her,” Louie said immediately. Everyone looked at him.

“You’ve known her for like, two minutes.”

“Something _does_ seem kind of off about her,” Huey agreed slowly. “She’s lived here but we’ve never seen her? Do her parents not let her out of the house? Isn’t that a little weird?”

“Do we _really_ know everyone in town?” Webby countered, frowning. “Maybe they just don’t get out much. And think about it for a minute — no one would know your names at all if your uncle didn’t literally own the town.”

“Hey, people know _me_ from my web-series, thank you very much.”

“Nobody watches Dewey Dew-Night,” Louie informed his brother wryly. “You get like, one-hundred hits per video and half of them are you re-watching it.”

“That’s not true!”

Webby sighed, looking off in the direction Lena had gone before heading toward home, the bickering boys following.

_I know where you go to school, you’re not that hard to find._

She really hoped that meant she’d see Lena again.

* * *

The room was dark when Lena toppled through the window, a small Pomeranian landing on her back. “I think we’re clear, bud—”

The light snapped on. Lena looked up, and groaned. “What, did you guys just sit in the dark this entire time waiting to bust me?”

“I was playing on my phone,” Gos said, waving the her phone in the air. Lena shot her a look, then turned to her mother and stepfather, trying to give them a smile.

“I can explain—”

Morgana held up a finger, silencing her daughter. Lena sighed, leaning against the wall while the Pomeranian crawled into her lap and curled up. “Lena. You _know_ why you’re not allowed out alone—”

“I had Moon with me, I wasn’t alone! What’s the point of having a permanent guardian if you don’t let me _do_ anything?”

“You’re allowed to do plenty,” Drake argued, frowning. “All we ask is that you don’t go out by yourself.”

Lena chased the dog out of her lap; he grumbled, hopping up the stairs to Lena’s bed, and she stood to face her parents. “I’m not a kid anymore. I can protect myself. And Moon can turn into a giant dog if he has to. I’m not defenseless.”

“That’s not—”

Drake rested a hand on Morgana’s shoulder, gently trying to placate her. The arguments between Lena and Morg could get heated in the metaphorical and literal ways; the last thing anyone needed was the attic catching fire. Again.

“Gos can go out alone,” Lena pointed out bitterly. “She doesn’t need a magical guard dog to go to hockey practice.”

“Leave me out of this,” Gos spoke up from her bed. Morgana sighed, moving to kneel in front of Lena and cupping her cheeks.

“You _know_ why I don’t want you wandering out alone. Or just with Moon. Please, Lena… just listen to me. I’m trying to protect you.”

Lena just stared at her mother for a minute before her shoulders fell. “Yeah. I know. I’m sorry.”

Morgana smiled gently, kissing her forehead. “I love you, sweetheart.”

“I know. I love you too.”

It was the best ending Drake could think of. He sighed, watching Morgana caress his step-daughter’s face for a moment before she stood. “Dinner’s in half an hour.”

“Got it.”

Drake held the door open for Morgana, gave the girls a smile, and started down the stairs as well.

“She’s fourteen,” he reminded Morgana gently.

“I’m aware,” Morgana replied simply.

“You can’t keep her locked up alone forever.”

“She’s not alone. She has us, and Gosalyn, and Moon.”

“Morg.”

They stopped at the bottom of the stairs, and Morgana turned to look at Drake. Her calm facade a faded, showing the muted panic in her eyes. “I’m trying to protect her.”

“This isn’t the way to do it.” Drake gestured back at the attic door. “You know she wants more freedom.”

Morgana stared at the wall behind Drake, not answering. It was an ongoing battle in the family, mostly between Morgana and Lena, but it was inevitable that Drake and Gosalyn would be pulled into it. They knew there was no way for anyone to win this fight; all they could do was keep the peace.

Lena climbed up to her bed, collapsing into her pillow. Moon climbed onto her back, settling down. “I told you sneaking out was a bad idea,” Gos said. Lena looked to glare at her. Their beds were built into nooks in the wall, Gosalyn’s bed closest to the floor and Lena’s all the way up the stairs at the top, diagonal with Gos’. Between them were nooks for bookshelves, a couch next to Gos’ bed, and a small nook for Moon to sleep in (although he usually stayed next to Lena’s head).

“Excuse me for wanting freedom.”

“You know Mom worries.”

“Yeah, I _know_.” Lena punched her pillow, sighing. “But it’d be nice to have a _life_ , too. What am I supposed to do, spend the rest of my life hiding from someone who’s probably dead?”

Gos finally put her phone aside and looked up at Lena. “She’s just scared.”

“So am I!” Lena burst out. “I’m scared all the time! Why do you think I have the stupid magic dog?” Moon huffed. “Oh, shut up. If I can get over it, why can’t she?”

“I’m not sure,” Gos admitted. “She cares about you or something.”

Lena huffed, burying her face in her pillow. Moon licked her cheek, whimpering slightly. “I met this girl,” she said finally. “Moon really liked her.”

“That’s rare.” Moon could play nice, but he hardly _liked_ anyone.

“Yeah. It was kind of funny, though. He just hopped on her like she was some old friend or something.”

“Aaaawwww, Moon.” Gos teased. The dog yawned, nestling down to sleep. Lena sighed, flopping down again to stare at the dog.

She understood why her mother worried, really she did. But she couldn’t stay trapped in the house forever. She wanted _friends_.

She wanted to see Webby again.


	6. Sharing Is Caring?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Best friends share everything... right?

“This is stupid!” Webby yelled through the blocked library door. “It’s just a-a-a- _achoo_!”

“And this is why you’re in quarantine,” Huey informed her from the other side of the door. “At least until you’re not contagious anymore.”

“It’s a _cold_! Everybody gets them! How am I supposed to eat?!”

“I’ve got that covered,” a smug voice said behind her; she whirled to see Lena stepping out of the shadows, and beamed.

“Thank you, Lena. At least _somebody_ loves me.” She spoke loud and over her shoulder, knowing the boys would hear her.

“Can Lena even _get_ sick?” Dewey called back.

“Nope,” Lena said cheerfully, holding up a bag. “Come on, Harry said his soup is best when it’s still hot.”

Webby bounced over to Lena and hugged her tight. “ _Thank you_. Huey and Dewey are the worst. They’ve been wearing masks since I _sneezed_ yesterday. And they moved a bookcase in front of my door!”

“Surprised Beakley let them get away with that.” Lena gave her a one-armed hug in return before sitting and getting out the Tupperware of what was sure to be some delicious soup, if Harry Sabrewing was responsible for it.

“She’s out for the day. Grocery shopping takes forever.”

“I’m sure getting Louie’s twenty-four cases of Pep takes a good hour up on its own.” Lena popped the Tupperware lid off, and handed Webby a spoon. “Bon Appétit.”

“Wrong language.” Webby giggled, taking the spoon and digging in. Harry never disappointed, especially when it came to cooking.

“I won’t tell if you don’t.”

“Deal.” Webby covered her mouth to cough, clearly miserable despite the happy charade she was putting on for Lena. Not that she could ever _really_ fool Lena.

“Just a cold, right?” It bugged her how _fragile_ people were. Sure, Webby was a fighting machine, but her body was still made of flesh and still easy to break.

“Yeah, but being sick is still awful.” Webby pouted, tapping her spoon against the container for a moment. “You’ve really never been sick?”

“Not even a sniffle. There are some advantages to having a magic shadow body.”

Webby wanted to say she was lucky, but the disadvantages far outweighed the advantages. “You don’t think maybe that’s changed now?”

“Probably not?” Lena shrugged. “It doesn’t seem like much else has. I’m still me in every other way.”

It was reassuring to hear her say that, Webby thought with a small smile. She knew who she was. “You don’t think you should be careful, though?”

“Why? I’m pretty sure I’m good.”

Webby took another sip of soup. “Okaaaaaaay.” She coughed into her arm. “Don’t come whining to me when you’re sick, though.”

“I’ll be _fine_ , Pink. I promise.”

* * *

“Uuuuuuuuuuuuuugh.”

“It’s your own fault.”

“This sucks.”

“I told you not to spend all day with Webby.”

Lena peeked out from under her pillow to glare at Violet, who was sitting in her desk chair, watching her with at least a little sympathy, but mostly her usual apathy. “You could feel a _little_ bad for me,” she grumbled.

“We _did_ tell you not to spend all day with Webby,” Harry pointed out as he shouldered into the room with a bowl of soup.

“I hate all of you.”

“Mmmmhm.” Harry knew better than to be bothered by that. It was practically how Lena said _I love you_. “Sit up and eat.”

“Not hungry.” Lena buried her face in her pillow, coughing. She could practically feel Harry looking her over, trying to figure out where to go from here.

“I’ll leave it here just in case, then.”

“Are you going to be okay if I leave you alone?” Violet asked, raising an eyebrow, as Harry slipped out.

“I think I can handle it, yeah,” Lena said, trying to smother a sneeze. “I’m a big girl.”

“I dunno. Who are you going to whine at if I leave?”

Lena grabbed her pillow and threw it at Violet, who ducked and made her way briskly out of the room. “Wait, Vi. My pillow!” Lena groaned, collapsing onto her now pillowless bed. “Vi-oh-leeeeeeeeeeeeeeet.” No answer. “Worst. Sister. Ever,” Lena grumbled, curling up under her blanket and tucking her arm under her head. Even without a pillow, she’d had worse sleeping situations.

She’d managed to fall into a semi, fitful sort of doze, hovering in that place between conscious and unconscious, when something soft was dropped on her head, pulling her back into reality.

“Wha…”

“Can’t get sick, huh?” Webby sounded weirdly smug. Lena peeked out from under her pillow, glaring at the other girl.

“Who told you?”

“Violet. She said something about you needing company and since you _probably_ got this from me, I’m safe.” Webby hopped onto the bed, smiling. “So. Can’t get sick?”

“ _Fifteen years_ without a sniffle,” Lena griped, tucking the pillow under her head and glaring at Webby. “And then I spend a few hours with you…”

“I’m sorry.” She _did_ sound apologetic. “But _you’re_ the one who said you couldn’t get sick, so…”

“I hate everyone,” Lena grumbled, tugging her blanket back over her head. Webby giggled.

“Violet’s right. You’re a terrible patient.”

“Do you and Violet talk about me behind my back a lot?”

“Only when you’re being stubborn about something.”

“So yes.”

Webby giggled, scooting back to lean against the wall and watch Lena. “So maybe you’re not as shadow-y as you thought you were, huh?”

“Not the time to gloat, Pink.”

“I’m not gloating,” she said quickly. “Just… you know, we’ve been trying to figure you out since you came back. You can get sick now. That’s something we didn’t know.”

“I guess not.” Lena sighed, curling up. She really hated thinking about what she was now — whatever that was. “Can we not talk about this? Tell me a story or something. Tell me about your last adventure.”

Webby lit up, and immediately launched into a thrilling tale of running through an empty cavern, looking for some lost treasure. Lena smiled, taking a deep breath and closing her eyes. Webby could talk for hours.

And Lena couldn’t think of anything better to listen to at the moment.


End file.
